A Challenge Fic Answered
by Twilight Unicorn
Summary: A What if? story in which Buffy instead of Angel went to Hell at the end of Becoming 2 [BtVs s2].
1. Preface

**Title:** A Challenge Fic Answered

**Disclaimer:** Don't own 'em. Never will.

**Author's Notes:** I knew that this would be an interesting challenge, but I never realized _how_ interesting it would get. Between developing my _own_ storyline and working off of some of the _actual_ show episodes, I'm wiped out! Anyone else mind if I crawl into a hole for the next year? Just kidding! ;) Honestly? I enjoyed working on this _very_ much. A challenge to stimulate the mind. Is that a quote? Also: The challenge I am speaking of is at the end of this story.

**Author's Notes 2:** Please excuse any building structure errors made concerning Angel's mansion, or the library. I am doing this from memory, and some details are extremely fuzzy.

**Dedication:** A _BIG_ "thank you" for giving me such a _creative_ challenge to write Lady Destiny! Thank you thank you thank you!

**Notations:** _Inner-thought_

**Spoilers:** Guess. That's all I'm saying. Basically, there's too many to name, and I'm not sure where some of them are from. I'm pretty hazy on which episode is what concerning certain things. I _suppose_ you could say anything up to season 3 of Buffy.

**Summery:** A "What if?" story in which Buffy (instead of Angel) went to Hell at the end of Becoming 2 (season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

**Rating:** If you can watch the show, then you can read this. Let's say…PG/PG-13.

* * *

**Preface**

Buffy stabbed Angel through the heart with the sword, then pulled it out. She yanked Angel away from the portal leading to Hell, throwing him clear across the room. She raised the sword gleaming with Angel's blood, and gazed at the swirling vortex with determination. Angel hit the wall farthest from Buffy, and fell to the ground in pain. He turned around to look at Buffy, and saw the portal.

"Buffy!" Angel cried out as Buffy jumped into the portal, not understanding. He quickly rose to his feet, ignoring the pain in his chest that Buffy had caused, and ran to the vortex. Before he could reach it, the vortex closed. Angel staggered, falling to his knees, and cried out in aguish, _"No!"_

Silence descended, as he quietly whispered in shock, "Buffy."

A minute passed in confusion before Angel's eyes grew wide, as knowledge suddenly filled his mind.

_"NOOOOOOOO!"_ Angel screamed in agony, as the memories of his time as Angelus resurfaced.

Angel staggered to his feet, and away from the dormant Acathla, to fall into a corner of the room. He curled into a fetal position, as his body shook with his cries.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A lone figure walked casually in and out of the shadows, as a half-moon shone down from above. A second figure followed, with dark intentions.

Evil travels fast, and the distance between the figures rapidly narrowed. The follower leaped into the air, impossibly high, hurtling down at his prey. The walker reached into his coat, swiveled with practiced ease, and thrust a sharpened stake into the body of his falling attacker, who cried out in terror in that split second before he crumbled into small particles that gently showered down on his intended victim.

Four other figures run towards the lone figure, as he dusted himself off. The only female of the four called out, "Angel!"

The lone male figure turned around, startled, and asked. "What are all of you doing here? I thought we were supposed to meet in the library."

"There's been a change of plans," said the eldest man of the group with a British accent. "The Watchers Council has decided to come here, to evaluate what is happening." The man paused, and said softly then firmly, "They do not know of your involvement, Angel. I would prefer it to remain that way."

"That may not be an option, Giles," said Angel quietly, as he gazed behind the group known as the Scooby Gang.

As one, the Scooby Gang turned to see what Angel saw. A group of ten men and women were walking purposefully toward where the five members of the Scooby Gang stood.

When the two groups were joined, a tall woman in her mid-thirties with flaming-red hair and piercing emerald-green eyes stared at Angel, and asked abruptly, "Who is this?"

Giles cleared his throat uncomfortably, and said, "This is Angel. He has…helped us on occasion, when the need arose for extra assistance concerning Buffy and her being the Slayer."

Angel's lips thinned at the mention of Buffy, and looked away, his heart burning with sorrow. His eyes narrowed, as he spotted something behind the group of Watchers. Before anyone could react, he slipped into the shadows, and quietly moved towards what he saw. He ignored the sudden exclamations, and Xander's snide remark of "I keep telling you, Giles, we need to put a bell on 'im."

A moment later, a demon was thrown towards the group, Angel closely behind. The demon quickly scurried to its feet, and ran towards Angel. Angel easily sidestepped the demon, and caught it before it could get further than his side. He threw the demon onto the ground, placed one booted heel on its chest, and leaned forward, making it impossible for the demon to move.

"Who are you following," Angel asked in a whisper with deadly calm, his eyes half-closed with dark emotions as he gazed at the demon.

The demon shuddered before answering in a high-pitched raspy voice. "You."

"Why?"

"Deliver message from Underground."

"What's the message?"

"You be hunted by Taraka Order if not stop hunting Underground."

Angel's lips thinned angrily, before he hissed darkly, "Tell the Underground that if they send the Order after me, they will _truly_ learn what the Scourge of Europe can do." With those words, Angel released the demon.

The demon fled, knowing it had just barely escaped death. Angel watched the demon, his acute eyesight seeing further than the humans around him. He did not realize that he was growling, until Willow put her hand on his arm, silencing him. He looked at her, startled.

"Calm down, Angel." A pause, in which Willow studied Angel closely, removed her hand, then asked bluntly, "What did you do _this_ time?"

Angel smiled coldly, as he turned his gaze back to where the demon had fled. "Nothing. I just stopped another attempt to open the Hellmouth. How I did it is what made them mad."

Willow blinked, then said nervously, "Um…ok. You don't need to say what you did. I'm sure it had to be pretty bad to get them to send the Order of Taraka after you."

Angel nodded, then said dryly, "Thanks."

"_Who_ are you," asked a female voice behind Angel.

Angel turned around. He had forgotten about the Watchers Council. The woman who seemed to be the leader of this group of Watchers gazed at Angel darkly. She asked, "How did you defeat that demon? No _human_ could have done what you did!"

Angel gazed at the woman, not answering.

"The Scourge of Europe: Angelus," whispered another shakily in the group of Watchers.

Angel flicked his eyes to the one who had spoken, then back to the woman. Inwardly he cursed his anger at accidentally revealing who he was.

It took only a moment for the woman to understand what the other person meant. The moment that the woman's eyes widened, she took a cross out from her pocket, and thrust it into Angel's face. He jerked back in reflex, barely controlling the urge to wear his vampiric face.

_"Vampire," _the woman sneered in disgust and hatred.

"Way to go, _Dead Boy_," Xander said with deep sarcasm.

Angel gritted his teeth, refusing to look at Xander. If he did, he knew he would be dead in less than a human heartbeat as he saw the woman take a stake out of another pocket in the coat she wore. With eyes locked onto the cross, Angel quietly said to the woman, "I will not harm you. I am not one of _them_."

"A vampire is a vampire," scoffed the woman. "There is _only_ one kind."

"Not in the case of Angel," Giles said with conviction, startling the vampire. "He is in the possession of his soul. He _will not_ willingly harm or kill a human being."

Confusion crossed the woman's face. "What?"

"His soul," Giles restated, "is bound to him through a gypsy curse placed upon him over one hundred years ago."

"But that is only a myth," murmured the woman in shock. "There were rumors of a vampire with a soul, but no proof was ever found."

"You are gazing at that proof," Giles quietly said.

"Surely he is only _acting_ at having a soul," someone exclaimed among the Watchers.

"No," Giles said sharply, "he is not. We have…_encountered_ the soulless version of this vampire, and there _is_ a difference."

Xander snorted, then muttered loud enough for all to hear, "Not in _my_ book."

Angel had had enough by this time. Swiftly, he moved away from the group of humans, and said as he slipped into the shadows, "You can discuss me without me being here. I'll see you all tomorrow night. At that time, I will answer whatever questions you might still have."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Angel angrily moved among the shadows, making his way to the mansion on Crawford Street, his new home.

_I keep trying, but he never lets it rest. I am **not** the demon. When will he see that? The only one who seems to see it is Willow, and maybe Oz._

Angel sighed as he reached the mansion, and looked up at the lightening sky. _Sun'll be up in a few minutes._ He walked into the building, and found himself walking into The Room. He gazed desolately at the place where Buffy had entered the portal of Hell, and closed his eyes as the memories overtook him.

How long he stood there, he did not know. He only knew that one moment he was lost in his memories, and the next jerked back to the present by a hand on his shoulder. He quickly turned around to see who would dare come near him, and relaxed. He chidingly said, "Willow, you should _not_ have done that." He paused, and gazed at Willow in confusion. "Why are you here?"

"You really didn't give me a choice…you're even worse than Giles on fazing out!" Willow said defensively. "It was either this, or thrust a cross into your face, and I wasn't about to do that. Also, I was worried. You left rather suddenly, even though I understand the reason. Don't worry, I ribbed Xander out for what he said about you."

Angel smiled faintly, wearily. _Willow: my steadfast defender. No matter what happens, she always defends me_, he thought, then said, "I hope you didn't do it in front of the Watchers, Willow."

Willow's eyes flashed as she said self-righteously, "I sure did! I don't care for them, they're a bunch of snotty nosed…_bitcas_ that think they can boss us around! _They_ don't live here, so _they_ can't tell us what is right or wrong about what we do here."

Angel gazed wide-eyed at Willow, then blinked, before he deadpanned, "You drank coffee today, didn't you?"

Willow smiled chirpily, before blithely replying, "Yep!"

"Thought so," Angel muttered. He sighed, then said, "Why don't you go home, Willow. I'd walk you, but the sun's up." At the wiccan's look of stubbornness, Angel said insistently, "I'm _fine_, just a little worn out from last night. And--"

"It's your bedtime." Willow murmured loud enough for Angel to hear, then said in a normal tone, "Alright, I'm going. Thank goodness it's Sunday. You get some rest, and I'll see you tonight then."

* * *

The sun had just set, as Angel strode into The Room. He stopped at the spot where Buffy had entered Hell, and knelt down. He placed one white rose and one red rose on the ground. With tears threatening to fall down his face, Angel took a small jewelry case out of his coat pocket. Carefully he opened it to reveal a woman's silver Claddagh ring. He remembered when Willow had given him the ring.

* * *

_"I-I think she would have wanted you to have this, Angel," Willow had said hesitantly, handing him the ring. "She never stopped loving you, even when the demon within you did all those bad things to her and us. I know that what Buffy did she did willingly to save you, when she went into that portal."_

* * *

Angel took the Claddagh ring, picked up the two roses, threaded them through the ring, and placed them onto the ground. He bowed his head, and closed his eyes, as a single tear fell onto the roses and ring.

"I will never forget you, my beloved Buffy," Angel whispered, before standing and leaving the mansion.

A moment after the door to the mansion closed, a white light shone down upon the memorial of Angel's love for Buffy. The ground trembled, before an explosion of light filled the room. When the light disappeared, a body lay trembling on the ground, exactly where the roses and ring had been. The body was of a small female with blonde hair…and rags for clothing.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Angel walked silently down the halls of the high school, instinctively seeking out the darkest shadows. As he neared the library, he heard voices raised in anger.

"The moment that Angelus lost his soul, you should have destroyed him!" a woman's familiar voice shouted.

_"We had no choice!" _Giles said harshly. "Our main concern at that moment was the Judge. After th--"

The woman turned around sharply to see what had caused Giles to stop speaking, and saw Angel. The woman sneered, and said, "You dare to come here, Vampire? You are more callous than I thought."

Angel's eyes narrowed, as his lips thinned, before saying in a voice that brought chills down everyone's spines, "What right do you have, to say such a thing to _me_, since I am not one of your number?"

"As Head of the Council, I have such a right," the woman replied arrogantly.

Angel's lips curled ever so slightly into a sneer, before replying, his voice contemptuous, "So…you are the one that made Buffy's life Hell on Earth."

The woman stiffened in outrage, before walking over to Angel, and slapping him ruthlessly across his left cheek, before shouting into his face, _"How dare you!"_

Angel, in a rare show of anger, grabbed the woman, turned her around, and lowered his suddenly vampiric face until it was a mere inch from her neck. He said, his voice deadly calm, "I dare, because I _know_ what Buffy was like before being Called as the Slayer. I was there at her Calling. I have watched as her life has slowly been destroyed."

Angel glanced up through yellow eyes at the Scooby Gang, wanting to see their reaction. He wasn't disappointed, as they stood in complete and absolute shock. He addressed the gang, saying, "You could not have known, since by the time she came into your midst she had learned to hide her emotions very well."

The woman began to struggle, trying to break free of Angel's hold on her. Angel's grip tightened, as he said softly, his mouth close to her ear, "Don't." The woman stilled. "Very good. Now, listen to me, 'Head of the Watchers.' I can very easily kill you right now, but I will not. Why, you are probably wondering. Simple. I don't kill humans. I have not killed a human in about one hundred years."

With those words, Angel released the woman, and stepped back, as his face returned to its human guise. The woman turned around to gaze at Angel, and found herself falling into the darkest pair of soulful eyes she had ever encountered. A shiver ran down her spine.

"How did you know about her Calling, and how were you there when it happened," asked the Head of the Council nervously.

Angel closed his eyes, as an expression of pain and grief briefly flashed across his face, before saying, "I was…brought to watch her Calling. After I was shown what I was supposed to see, I was given a choice: return to the way I was living…or help her."

Angel opened his eyes, an eerie determination shone from them, as he said firmly, "I chose to help."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Angel walked out of Sunnydale High School, exhausted. _Three hours. The Watchers questioned me for **three hours**, and they **still** won't believe me!_ Angel angrily punched a tree that he was passing by. _The only reason they stopped questioning me was that I had to patrol, and then they almost stake me when I reported back to Giles!_

Angel stopped before the mansion on Crawford Street, and gazed at it, sighing. He thought, _Willow's right. They don't have any right to make judgments on what we do here. This is **not** their battlefield. **Hell**, this isn't even their **battle**._

Angel muttered curses darkly under his "breath," before opening the door leading into the mansion. As Angel closed the door, he sensed something wrong. Wearily, he gazed around, as he pulled a stake out of his duster.

Angel began to slowly move from room to room. _Everything is where it should be_, he thought.

When Angel stood just before the entrance to The Room, he hesitated, as a sense of dread overtook him. As he began to pull open the door leading into The Room, it suddenly exploded outward.

With a cry surprise and shock, Angel fell onto his back. Above him, a crazed woman clung to him, growling. Angel remained absolutely still as the woman sniffed him, like a dog would to a stranger.

The woman, satisfied by whatever she smelled, scrambled off of Angel, moved into a corner of the room, and growled lowly at him. Angel slowly stood, not taking his eyes off of the woman, as he tried to understand what he was seeing.

"Buffy," Angel whispered questioningly.

Buffy tilted her head to the side, and gazed at Angel out of blank eyes. With a half-sob, Angel moved swiftly towards Buffy. Buffy, with an animalistic scream, rushed forward, slammed into Angel, then was out the door. With a curse at his own stupidity, Angel picked himself up off of the floor, and raced after her.

* * *

It seemed like hours to Angel before he finally caught up with Buffy at the edge of Weatherly Park. As they neared the center of the park, Angel leaped at Buffy, tackling her.

There was a moment of silence, as Buffy lay stunned below Angel, before struggling and pushing Angel roughly off of herself. Instinctively, Buffy faced Angel as he leapt to his feet. Wearily, Angel gazed at Buffy, waiting for her to make the first move.

Neither was able to make the first move, as they were suddenly surrounded by a group of vampires. By instinct alone, Buffy and Angel stood back-to-back, fighting the vampires. As Angel dusted the last vampire in his range, he turned to look at Buffy.

"Oh God," he whispered in shock.

Twenty feet away, Buffy silently crouched over a vampire, mindlessly destroying the vampire with her bare hands. With determination, Angel moved towards Buffy to stop her, and end the vampire's unlife. When he was only five feet away, the vampire burst into a cloud of dust.

Angel stopped moving as Buffy's head raised suddenly. It was a motion all vampires learned if they lived past their first year. The meaning was quite clear: Do not come closer.

Buffy slowly stood, before turning around to face Angel. Her eyes shone with recognition for a moment before rolling up into her head. She fainted, collapsing before Angel could catch her.

* * *

Angel entered the mansion, carrying the unconscious Slayer in his arms. He carried Buffy to the fireplace in the main room, and placed her in front of the hearth. He then went into the bedroom, and came out a moment later with a blanket and chains.

He placed the blanket over Buffy, then took one shackle of the chains, and locked it securely around Buffy's left wrist. When that was done, Angel took the other shackle, stood, and locked it to the iron bracket holding up the fireplace mantel. Angel pulled on the chain. When he was satisfied that Buffy wouldn't be able to break free, he left her side and went into The Room. Angel stopped short in the doorway, as he saw something that disturbed him deeply.

In the middle of The Room, burn marks outlined what could be the small figure of a woman. Within the outline, where the heart on the woman would be, was the image of two roses crossed. Where the roses crossed, a Claddagh ring lay.

Angel stood staring at the outline and ring, before turning and gazing at Buffy, eyes wide.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The sun shone down through the skylight of the library of Sunnydale High School as Giles unlocked the doors leading into the library. He sipped a cup of Earl Grey tea as he walked into the room, and stopped short as he saw something unexpected.

Angel sat on the steps leading up to the second level of the library, leaning against the railing, asleep. Many books are spread out around him, open and closed. The sunlight is only a foot away from touching Angel.

Giles stood in the sunlight for a moment, just gazing at Angel, then noticed some of the titles of the books surrounding the vampire. "Exploring Demon Dimensions", "Mystery of Acathla", and "Hell's Gateways" were among the few.

Giles' eyebrows drew together in puzzlement, before frowning. He looked at the vampire, his expression becoming blank. Staying where he was, Giles called quietly but firmly, "Angel."

Angel stirred, the open book in his lap falling to the floor with a loud thud. Angel jerked completely awake at the sound. He blinked his eyes as he tried to gather his thoughts and clear his eyes from sleep. When his vision finally focused, he saw how close the sunlight was to him. With a curse, the vampire scrambled further away from the light. Only when Angel was safely away from the light, did he realize that he was not alone.

Angel looked over at Giles, and said in recognition of the Watcher's presence, "Giles."

Giles nodded once in acknowledgement, then said, "Not to be, as Xander might say, rude…but what are you doing here?"

Angel looked down at the books scattered around on the floor, sighed, ran a hand through his hair, looked up, and answered, "Doing some research."

Giles gestured to the books with his free hand, and commented, "That I can see, but what type of research? From what I can see, it concerns Acathla."

Angel winced, before nodding.

"Why," asked Giles bluntly.

Angel looked down, thinking. He said softly, painfully, "I…_dreamt_…of her, and…it raised some questions in my mind. Questions that needed answering."

Giles studied Angel, and noted the slump of the vampire's shoulders, as well as the overall look of soul weariness and grief. With a muttered curse for feeling sorry for what _should_ be his enemy, Giles purposefully moved towards his office.

Angel's eyes followed Giles. When the Watcher disappeared, Angel looked down, and with a scowl, began to gather the books he could safely reach. A few moments later, Giles was picking up the books in the sunlight. When all the books were picked up and placed on a table safely away from the sun, the vampire and Watcher sat down. Angel leaned forward, elbows on the table, and his head resting on his hands. Giles sat opposite of Angel, a pad of paper and pen in front of him, and studied the ensouled vampire for a moment.

"What are you searching for…specifically?" asked Giles.

Angel asked in reply, his voice muffled, "Is there _any_ possible way to bring back someone from Hell?"

After a moment of silence, Giles said quietly, "There's been no record of anyone returning once the gate to a dimension has been sealed."

"But is there a _chance_ that it can happen?"

Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose, then gazed at the vampire for a moment before commanding, "Look at me." Angel looked up. His face was haggard and his eyes strained with some deeply hidden emotion that pained him. When Angel made eye contact with the Watcher, Giles continued, saying softly, "Angel, even if it were possible, Buffy would be dead by now. Time moves _quite_ differently there."

Angel looked down at his now clasped hands, and said, "Suppose, _somehow_, that Buffy is still alive, and found _someway_ to get out. What would she be like?"

Giles leaned forward, clasping his own hands in front of him on the table. He studied the vampire's posture. He saw how tense Angel was as he sat, and realized that Angel was hiding something. Giles' eyes narrowed, and he thought, _What are you not telling me, Vampire? You may not want to tell me, but you **will **do so in time._

Giles' expression became blank as he thought of what to say, then said, "From what I understand about that dimension, it is a world of…_brutal_ torment. She would have been, if I remember the timing correctly, in that dimension for somewhere around five hundred years by now. She would have been tortured without any thought of mercy." Giles paused, sighed heavily, then continued, saying, "Angel, it would take someone of…_extraordinary_ will and character to survive that…and retain any semblance of self." Giles paused, then said softly, "Most likely, she'd be…mindless, unrecognizable as a human being."

"A monster," Angel whispered.

"Maybe, maybe not," Giles murmured, then said out-loud, "In my experience, there are two types of monster. The first can be redeemed, or more importantly, _wants_ to be redeemed."

"Redeemed, huh?" Angel asked softly as he looked up at Giles, a glimmer of…challenge in his eyes. Vampire and Watcher made eye contact. Something akin to a battle of wills ensued, before Giles looked away. Angel asked quietly, changing the subject, "And the second?"

Giles replied in a low voice, "The second is void of humanity, and cannot respond to reason…or to love."

A moment of silence passed, before Giles said with a sigh of defeat, looking up, "Since you cannot safely return to your home until nightfall, you may stay here." Angel nodded, and started to rise, when Giles continued speaking. "There is one condition, though." Angel sat back down. "You _must not_ let your presence be known to any of the children, should--or rather, _when_--they come into the library."

Angel nodded, stood, and began to gather the books on the table when Giles commented, rising, "Be glad that you came when you did, Angel. If the other Watchers came in and learned of your presence here, today…they would have in no doubt killed you."

Angel paused, and asked out of curiosity, "Where are they?"

Heading towards his office, Giles answered, "At my home, reviewing the journals that I have kept since coming to the Hellmouth. It will take them most of today to finish reading what they didn't get to last night."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Three hours after sundown, Angel slipped into the mansion carrying a bag of McDonald's food. He stepped into the room where Buffy was chained, and saw that she was still asleep. With a sigh, he put the bag onto the floor, went into the kitchen area, and came out a moment later with a plate. He scooped up the bag from the floor, opened it, and removed several hamburgers. He unwrapped them, and placed them onto the plate.

Carefully, Angel placed the plate just within Buffy's reach. She stirred with the smell of food, and her eyes snapped open at the scrape of the plate. With a low growl, she launched herself towards Angel, grabbing for the food. Once the food was in Buffy's hands, she moved away from Angel, 'til she was inside the fireplace, growling as she hungrily tore into the hamburgers.

Angel swallowed thickly as he watched wide-eyed in shock. Only five minutes after Buffy started eating, she was done. Angel slowly came closer to Buffy, stopping three feet from her. He sat down Indian style, and waited for Buffy to become aware of him.

Angel did not have long to wait, before Buffy began to sniff the air. Slowly, she turned her gaze to Angel, her eyes the eyes of a wild animal. Wearily, she moved towards Angel, stopping a foot away. Slowly, Angel raised his right hand, his Claddagh ring glinting in the lampligt, and reached out to Buffy, _almost_ touching her. She sniffed his hand, then growled as she grabbed it. Angel stilled the impulse to jerk his hand away, as Buffy rubbed her cheek against his palm sensually. Her growl turned into a purr of contentment before lunging at Angel, making them both crash to the floor.

Angel lay there stunned, as Buffy rubbed herself against him. So it went for a minute, before she began to tare at his clothes. Angel could smell Buffy's arousal, as he began to panic with the understanding of what she wanted…and what was forbidden between them.

_"Buffy,"_ Angel cried out, as he grabbed the Slayer's arms to stop her. "No!"

Breathing heavily, Angel pushed the Slayer off of him and quickly scrambled out of her reach. Buffy strained against the chain keeping her bound, screaming in a maddened rage. Angel staggered farther away, before crying out in sorrow and agony, "What did they _do_ to you!"

Angel fled the mansion, unable to look anymore upon what was left of his beloved Buffy, as the mantelpiece that held the chain that held Buffy began to loosen.

* * *

Angel ran. He had been running for over an hour. He didn't know where he was going. All that concerned him was outrunning the pain. 

_**Why! **It should have been **me**, not her! Not my beautiful Buffy_, Angel thought as he ran. _What happened to her while she was in that Hell-place?_

Angel staggered to a stop in front of the high school, falling to his hands and knees, raggedly drawing in unneeded breath, while he tried to still his chaotic thoughts. Once his mind had stilled, it took him less than a split-second to realize that he was not alone. Slowly he raised his head, and saw the vampires surrounding him.

He cursed silently, as he calmly stood up, showing nothing of what he was feeling at that moment.

"Angelus," hissed a male vampire in game face before him. "You are no longer welcome here."

Angel snorted, before muttering loud enough for all to hear, "As if I ever _was_."

The vampire that had spoken gazed at Angel with a malicious gleam in his yellow eyes, before calmly saying, "Kill him."

* * *

_**In another place, inside a mansion, Buffy lay asleep. She stirred awake, whimpered, and began to pull on the chain holding her.**_

* * *

Angel kicked a vampire in the chest, then cried out in pain as another stabbed him with a knife in the shoulder. The ensouled vampire snarled in full game face as he yanked out the knife, grabbed the one that had stabbed him, and drew it close to him. He whispered coldly into the vampire's ear, "That won't kill me." Angel thrust a stake into the vampire's heart. "But _this_ will kill _you_, as it would me."

Angel shoved the vampire away from him before it became dust, turned, and dodged a kick to his head. He sensed that this was the last vampire to stay and fight him, the others having run off when they finally realized what they were up against.

Angel, with a last punch to the face of the vampire before him, snarled, and staked it. He watched as the vampire turned to dust. Only then did he allow himself to feel the pain from his wounds. With a groan, he staggered towards the high school library.

* * *

_Another shouting match_, Angel thought dimly through the pain, as he neared the library. _Wonder what they're arguing about now?_

The shouting stopped the moment Angel staggered, fell through the library doors, and lost consciousness.

* * *

Angel groaned, slowly becoming aware of his surroundings, as he smelled blood. _Mine_, he thought groggily. 

A voice was calling him. _Female. Willow_, he recognized after a moment. _She's worried._

"Angel. Come on. Wake up."

_And afraid._ Angel opened his eyes slowly, then squinted as the harsh light of a lamp seemed to pierce him. He looked beyond the lamp after a moment, and saw Willow.

Willow looked relieved as Angel made eye contact with her. She turned her head and called out, "Giles! He's awake!" She turned back to Angel, and asked, "Think you can stand and walk?"

Angel closed his eyes for a moment, assessing his injures. _Nothing life threatening_, he thought, then looked at Willow and nodded. He stood, only having to steady himself once on a desk. He looked around at his surroundings, and realized that he was in Giles' office.

"Huh," was all he said, before walking out of the office, Willow behind him.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_"Vampire."_

_Ah Hell. **Her **again_, Angel thought, then asked curtly, "What do you want?"

The Head of the Watchers leaned insolently against a table, and commented, "Tell me this, _Vampire_: What makes you think you can come here--_freely_--when everyone here hates you? Do you not think that they will take action against you, as we will?"

Angel started to protest, then jerked back, nearly colliding with Willow, as five crosses were suddenly placed before his face.

"You cannot do this, Maeve," Giles said tightly in anger. "He is needed in the battle against those who would open the Hellmouth."

The Head of the Watchers stood up straight, turned, and faced Giles. "Yes. I can. _Brother_. There is naught that you can do." She paused, a strange glint appeared in her eyes. She said with authority, "Rupert Giles, as a Watcher, you should have recognized and taken care of the dangerous beings you have allowed to interact with the Slayer. A werewolf, a witch, and of all things…a _vampire_! As Head of the Watchers Council, you have given me no choice, but to do what I now must do."

Calmly, Maeve turned and gazed at Angel, then said in a flat voice, "Destroy him…and take the witch and werewolf captive."

* * *

_**In another place, inside a mansion, Buffy stopped pulling on her chain, and became absolutely still, her eyes widening in sudden fear. She cried out what suspiciously sounded like "no," and began to pull on the chain with sudden urgency.**_

_**Within seconds, the chain snapped, making Buffy crash to the floor. She scrambled up, and ran out of the mansion. As she ran, she made sounds that strangely sounded like: "Angel. Save Angel."**_

* * *

Angel cried out as a cross was pressed to his arm, sizzling against his skin. He jerked his arm away, and punched the Watcher with the cross. As Angel dodged a punch to his face, he took a quick assessment of what was happening. 

Xander was starting to rouse near the checkout counter, from being knocked out earlier. Oz and Willow had locked themselves inside the book-cage, away from the Watchers. Giles, he could not see.

Angel staggered as he was suddenly pushed from behind by Giles, who shouted, _"Run!"_

Angel ran.

Five feet from the library doors, Angel crashed to the floor, as three Watchers grabbed him. Struggling, Angel was roughly hauled to his feet.

"Well," murmured Maeve smugly, as she casually moved in front of Angel, "the mighty Angelus has been brought down." She showed Angel the stake in her right hand. "To bad you can only be staked once."

The Head of the Watchers raised the stake higher, and started to plunge it down into Angel's heart when the library doors exploded and shattered inward.

Maeve turned around sharply, blocking Angel's view, as everyone froze.

In shock, Giles whispered questioningly, "Buffy?"

Buffy crouched in front of the now obsolete doors, growling lowly, her eyes wild and unfocused. Slowly, her eyes focused on Maeve. With a scream of maddened rage, Buffy launched herself at the Head of the Watchers, grabbing for the stake.

Maeve screamed in fear as Slayer and Watcher slid to the center of the first-level of the library.

Buffy wrenched the stake out of Maeve's hand, and raised her own, ready to plunge the stake into the Watcher's heart in rage.

Angel, pulling out of the stunned Watchers' hands, cried out, "Buffy! _NO!_"

Angel's words echoed in the silence of the library. Buffy dropped the stake, backing away from the Head of the Watchers, and shook her head back and forth, as though she were clearing it. Angel took a step towards Buffy, and stilled as her head rose suddenly. Buffy breathed heavily, as she turned to gaze at Angel. Her eyes slowly went from a blank maddened rage to a calm lucid understanding.

"A-Angel?" Buffy asked, her voice halting and rough, as if from disuse.

"Yes," Angel answered quietly, soothingly.

"H-h-help. M-me," Buffy struggled to say more, but found she could not speak.

With a strangled cry of pain and anger, she clutched her head. Angel rushed to her side, and held her before she collapsed. He gently lowered her to the floor, and rocked her as she cried, clinging to him.

THE END…or is it the beginning?

**P.S.: The story continues in A Challenge Fic Answered 2, which can be found with my other stories.**

* * *

**THE CHALLENGE (which started this whole fic):**

Challenge by Lady Destiny of the eGroups (now Yahoo!Groups) List: AlwaysBA

Starts off when Angel came back from Hell, but it wasn't Angel who came back. It was Buffy. Somehow (you don't have to explain it or anything), Buffy saved the world by going to Hell herself, instead of Angel. Buffy is returned, the same age and all, but totally senseless, animal-like. Just like Angel was.

**Must haves:  
**· Angel finding Buffy first  
· Angel taking care of Buffy  
· Buffy having to be put in chains because of her behavior  
· No Faith  
· A strained relationship between the Scooby Gang and Angel, all except for Willow.  
· Some kind of spell (have some kind of plot, you know)


End file.
